North To Alaska

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Hyder (+Stewart, BC) is a neat place and the bear viewing is fantastic if the salmon are running in the river.  There are typically 3-4 runs, one is early July, one in August and another in mid September. Only the salmon know the timing for sure.

Salmon Glacier is definitely a must see as well, and the mouth of the river is loaded with bald eagles and ospreys. The "hanging" glacier (Bear Glacier) along the highway heading into Hyder from the Casiar Hwy is another great view, and Mezadian Lake at the Stewart Hwy-Casiar junction is another choice spot for  camping (dry).
 
One interesting note.  There was only a one way border crossing check between Stewart and Hyder.  We were not checked when going to Hyder from Stewart, but were checked when crossing back to Stewart.  I guess because there is no roads out of Hyder except through Stewart, they aren't worried about checking those entering Hyter.
 
You can't enter the rest of the USA from Hyder without taking a boat or a plane, and either of those will go through Customs & Immigration upon arrival at the entry port. For practical purposes, Hyder is a Canadian town with a US post office.  ;)
 
Most people don't know that its illegal in AK to have more that 5 cars stacked up behind you. Please remember to pull over and let cars around you so you can take you're time and enjoy the Alaskan views. Have a great trip.
 
akwolfes said:
Most people don't know that its illegal in AK to have more that 5 cars stacked up behind you. Please remember to pull over and let cars around you so you can take you're time and enjoy the Alaskan views. Have a great trip.

That is true in many states.  Montana is one but no issue on interstates with 4 or more lanes.  However on 2 lane mountain roads, be aware.
 
Most of these laws about pulling over also state that you must pull over "when it is safe". I driven many miles where there was nowhere to pull over where it was safe. I won't pull over on to dirt or grass as I have no way of knowing if it can support the weight of the motorhome. Even if there is an area to pull over, if it is short then it is often impossible to tell if we can fit until we are very close. Unless you slow way down for every possible turnout site, you are going to fast to make the pull off area. Those roads that have marked turnouts are easy - I pull over even if there are only a couple of cars behind me.

The other way to let people pass easily is to slow down, put on your right turn signal and pull to the far right when there is an area where you can see that it is safe for cars to pass. I do the same with truckers if I can reach them on the CB.

ken


 
akwolfes said:
Most people don't know that its illegal in AK to have more that 5 cars stacked up behind you. Please remember to pull over and let cars around you so you can take you're time and enjoy the Alaskan views. Have a great trip.

LMAO---I know where your coming from.... ;)
 
I know the 2 of you will have a blast!  :) Alaska is our first trip to take when we retire. My husband has 12 years to go  :( I have 3 years :)then we will be heading to Alaska! Have fun and please lots of pictures for us that still have to put in the 8-5  :(
 
Marsha, were you visiting some family in Ridgecrest a couple months ago? We met a couple in our neighborhood visiting from out of town and they were planning a trip to Alaska in June.
 
Hi Josh....nope wasn't us.  But I will say that I've run into several couples in various campgrounds we've stayed in the during the last couple of months who are planning on going to Alaska this summer.  At the moment we are in Cold Springs, CA 25 miles east of Sonora.  On Friday we head down the hill heading north.

Marsha~
 
Update:

We finished the work at the kid's camp, then headed to Red Bluff, Ca to do laundry, get groceries and rest.  I haven't worked from 8:30 til 5:00 for a very long time.  It was fun; we met a great bunch of RVers who travel around and help churches with things that need to be done.  For several years they have been helping this camp get ready for the onslaught of kids throughout the summer. 

The Red Bluff RV campground was very very nice.  Lots of big trees, grassy sites, pool and laundry.  Since we are no longer using our "on the roof motosat satellite" for internet and instead using our aircards, it was nice to not have to worry about a clear tree free southern exposure.  The campground had cable TV, so we did not bother turning on the King-dome dish.  As Betty B. says:  "life is good".

We left Red Bluff on Monday and drove north to Canyonville, Oregon and are staying at the Seven Feathers RV Resort.  WOW what a nice campground; beautiful rhodendrum (spelling?) bushes all over the place, along with a wide variety of trees.  Strong WiFi although, our air card is showing 5 bars and 3G, cableTV; but we are using our satellite dish so that we can watch recorded programs.  The sites are beautiful, lots of grass and open spaces.  We are not casino people but we went over to eat and <shudder> lost $2.00 at the one-armed bandits.  My problem with the casinos is the smoke.....gets to me every time.

On Thursday we take off for Portland and will be there over the Memorial Day weekend.  We've been lazy so far on this trip.....seems we are taking it slow!

Marsha~
 
Marsha,

The Seven Feathers RV Resort is among the nicest we've ever had the pleasure of staying in.  One time when driving to Coburg in the car we stayed at their hotel and it also was very nice.  They have a decent buffet too.  In fact, the last few times we've been to the buffet they had ham that was so good I asked about the brand.  Turns out it's only sold wholesale but boy we really enjoyed it!

ArdraF
 
Marsha, there is nothing wrong with being lazy and taking your time, it is always nice to be relaxed and safe on a long trip. I'm with you on the casinos as well, I don't care for casinos and I absolutely can't stand the smoke it really bothers me and seems to affect my allergies everytime too which are really bad. Keep us posted.

Josh
 
Marsha/CA said:
Update:

On Thursday we take off for Portland and will be there over the Memorial Day weekend.  We've been lazy so far on this trip.....seems we are taking it slow!

Marsha~

Marsha, do keep us posted on your whereabouts.  We are right behind you.  We will get to Portland on the 26th or 27th.  We linger where we love, and scoot through what we don't.  We may stay at Fairview RV Park, but nothing is in concrete.  Let us know what park you choose and what you think of it. 

You are good people to get up and work for the kids.  I volunteer in my daughter's class 3 days a week for about 3 hours/day and find it rewarding.  It's too bad you can't see the joy the kids will have at this camp.  When my ex-students would come back or when I was their child's teacher, they would tell me that the time we spent together at 6th grade camp was the highlight of their lives.  They had vivid memories of what they did there.

Thanks for trailblazing for us!

Linda
 
    Sorry to have missed you and Tim when we went west this year to Moab.  We would have loved to have done Alaska along with several other framily this year.  However, given time constraints on being in the US, any Alaska trip won't be by way of our MH, unless we curtail our time in Florida.  You two have a great trip, look out for the moose (maybe you'll get to see some there, even if they don't live out there).

Ed
 
Thanks for the good wishes everyone. 

Ed, I wish we could have caught up with you guys also.  It's been way too long!  We're thinking about Moab for next year.  Tell Donna, I finally got my act together and am now a DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) which meant tons of ancestry work. 

Linda we are staying at Fairview RV Park in Portland Thursday through Monday.  Then we are off to Port Townsend, WA (on the point) and will be there for 5 days or so.  Port Townsend was recommended to us by some folks we met in Palm Springs who live in the area.  Apparently there is a ferry we can take across the bay which drops us right into downtown Seattle.  So we will use Port Townsend as a base.  We've not spent much time in either Portland or Seattle, so it should be fun.

FYI, diesel is #3.84/gallon here in Canyonville.  It's cloudy with the sun peeking out now and then, high of 59 degrees.

Marsha~
 
    Well, we're here in SLC and I drop Donna off at 9 AM when the LDS Research center opens, and go down to pick her up around 6:30, hoping to get her out by 7:30.  She comes back to the coach, eats a quick supper, then reviews what she did for the day, and what she'll do tomorrow.  We're booked in for 2 weeks, then a mad dash for the Alberta border so that Uncle Sam doesn't get mad at us.  We've got to be out by the 15th.
  As for Moab, we loved it, but a 4,500 mile detour won't happen every year, so maybe in a few.

Ed
 
We'll be a few miles north of Portland, but probably not until after Memorial Day.  Dan's brother will be visiting until June 1.  Then, we'll take off for Alaska.

Our first stop will probably be a paragliding site east of Vancouver, BC. 

Jeannine
 

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